Managing
Anxiety

MINDSET & GROWTH TOOLS

Identify what to stop, reduce, maintain, and start -
in service of a specific goal.

Where This Tool Helps

Anxiety tends to grow in proportion to the gap between what a situation demands and what you believe you can do about it. This worksheet doesn't address the feeling directly - it works on the behavioral layer underneath it. What are you avoiding? What are you doing too much of? What's actually working that you should keep? Naming these clearly often reduces the sense of overwhelm more than any reframing exercise.

The "My Desired Goal/Outcome" box at the top is not optional. Many people skip it and fill in the rows in the abstract. Without a specific goal anchoring the worksheet, the rows produce generic observations instead of actionable distinctions. Write the goal first, then let every row respond to it.

How to Use This Worksheet

Write a specific goal at the top before touching the rows. Not "feel less anxious" - that's a state, not a goal. "Deliver the board presentation without losing my train of thought" or "have the difficult conversation with my direct report this week" gives the rows somewhere to point.
Work from the bottom up. Start with "Do more of" and "Start Doing" - what would help. Then move to "Keep Doing," "Do less," and "Stop Doing / Avoiding." Going bottom-up tends to surface more honest answers in the avoidance rows.
"Stop Doing / Avoiding" is the most informative row. It's also the one where vague entries appear most often ("stop worrying," "avoid overthinking"). Push for a specific behavior - not a mental state. What are you literally not doing, or actively steering around?
Check for contradictions between rows. Sometimes what appears in "Start Doing" is incompatible with what appears in "Keep Doing." That tension is worth noting.
Bring this to your next session. The worksheet surfaces the behavioral picture - your coach can help you prioritize which changes would have the most traction.